At this birthday party, Anegasaki Nene got roses, cards, matching pens, a pink leather bookmark with her name on it, and more.
jin115.com

Yum (click for larger image).
jin115.com

Though not quite as bonkers fantastical as tying the knot with a video game girl, it's suddenly fashionable to treat virtual avatars as the real deal. Including, in this case, holding a real birthday party complete with cake and presents that no one will eat or open, for a Nintendo DS dating sim character in Konami's Love Plus called Anegasaki Nene.

Her birth date's listed as April 20, though being just pixels, this senior high school student in her third year remains ageless, of course.

Love Plus, which you probably won't be surprised to hear is a Japan-only game, is said to take the virtual girlfriend idea a step further than most. That is, you may get the girl, but like the virtual pet game Tomagotchi, you have to keep your significant virtual other happy by engaging with her in real time, taking her out on dates, spending quality time, and apparently, celebrating her birthday in style.

If postings to the blog jin115.com are any indication, plenty of Love Plus players tried to keep Anegasaki Nene happy by feting her on her big day.

And, in case you're wondering, player Sal9000, the guy who married her last year, made sure his wife's birthday was extra special, saying the pair would spend the night in a Tokyo hotel room where they could see the city lights. Crikey, what's the world coming to?